To Attend a Royal Ball
by sildarmillion
Summary: Emma's stepmother wants to keep her hidden, because it's not safe for them if Emma's powers were discovered. But Emma really wants to attend that royal ball... A reimagining of Cinderella.
1. Chapter 1

It all started one day at the market. It was the third time I was allowed to go by myself, and as always, with strict instructions of returning before dark and sticking to the shopping list Stepmother had provided me.

This time, I decided to visit the pumpkin stall I had noticed the last two times. There was something about the stall that made me want to go, but pumpkins seem to never be on the list. But there could be no harm in examining them.

"These pumpkins are beautiful," I said, picking one up.

"They're from my mother's garden," the vendor told me proudly.

She looked about my age, but there was something different about her. It was like I could sense some kind of energy flowing out of her.

She was tilting her head to one side and studying me too.

"I'm Miranda," she said, introducing herself. "I haven't seen you here before, have I?"

"I'm Emma," I said shyly. "I'm not usually allowed to come to the market very often," I explained.

"Oh," she said, her eyes growing wide with comprehension. I was pretty certain that she had guessed, but how could she have. Maybe she was like me?

"Are your parents..?" She hesitated with finishing her question.

"They're dead," I explained. "I live with my stepmother."

"And she makes you stay indoors?"

I nodded.

Miranda thought for a minute. "Would she ever let you visit?" she asked me. "I'm sure my mother would love to meet you."

I bit my lip. I really wanted to go. If Miranda was like me, I wanted to find out more. I felt certain I could trust her. Besides, I didn't have any friends and I had really hoped to make some at the market.

"No, she wouldn't," I sighed. "It took me months to convince her to let me come to the market. She wouldn't let me come unsupervised at first, but she's only started to trust me on my own recently."

Miranda nodded. She understood.

"Tell you what," she said. "I'm bored here and I want to close up. I'll help you finish your shopping and then maybe you can drop by on your way home? Your stepmother needn't find out."

I hesitated only a little before agreeing to her proposition. Then, in the blink of an eye, all her pumpkins were loaded onto her cart and she was ready to head out. How did she do that? Maybe she would teach me?

"You're just going to leave them there? What if somebody takes them?" I asked.

"I wouldn't worry about it," she assured me.

Miranda was much more fun to shop with than our cook, Hannah, who was usually the one who accompanied me on my first few trips. She seemed to have a keen sense for what produce was the best, and all the vendors knew her and were eager to give her their best products. She didn't draw too much attention to me, and I was grateful. I already was quite enamored with my new friend.

When we were done, she let me put my basket on the pumpkin cart, and she pushed with no difficulty. Just as she had said, no one had touched the pumpkins. I wondered again what kind of magic she was using. I felt my excitement rise as we chatted about the market on the way to her house.

She took me straight to the garden, where I saw a woman and another girl, a little older than Miranda and I, hard at work. They must be Miranda's mother and sister. I could sense the same energy coming from both of them.

"Miranda, you're back rather early," her mother frowned at her.

"Mamma I brought a new friend," she called excitedly as she ran to her mother.

The woman looked at me in amazement, and then wiping her hands completely clean on her apron, she approached me and took my hands in her.

"Why, child, look at you, you're one of us!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think there were any others left!"

Her excitement made me blush, but I was as delighted as they were to finally have met some people like me.

"I didn't know there was anyone like me here, either," I said.

"Look at your red hair, your gray eyes," she went on scrutinizing me. "You can't be Morgan's daughter, can you?"

"You knew my mother?" I asked, surprised.

"Why of course, we were sisters!"

My jaw dropped.

"Not by blood," she clarified, noting my shock. "Sisters in magic."

She turned to look at her older daughter. "Sandrine, don't be rude," she scolded. "You have not greeted our guest yet!"

"Hello," she muttered, going back to her work.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "She's not very friendly," she explained, giving her sister a glare. Then turning back to me, she asked, "What are your powers like? Do you use them often?"

"No," I said, "I try not to. I sometimes accidentally use them, when I'm not thinking."

"Do you live with your father?" asked her mother.

"No, my father's dead," I told them. "I live with my stepmother. She doesn't let me go out much. She likes to keep me hidden."

Miranda's mother nodded. "Understandable. I doubt you have had much training in how to keep your powers in check."

I shook my head.

"But speaking of Stepmother, she will be angry if I am not back home soon," I said, looking at the sky to see how long before it got dark.

"But oh Mamma, can't we train her?" Miranda asked.

"I should love to show you how to keep them in check," the woman told me. "But can you promise not to tell anyone about us?"

"I promise," I said. "And I will try to find an opportunity to come back here soon!"

I gathered my basket and hurried home. Miranda walked me to the gate, and stood waving till I was out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

I needn't have worried because Stepmother had not returned from the party and she had taken Cassandra and Lydia with her.

Cassandra is her daughter from her previous marriage. She is four years older than I am, and at almost twenty, Stepmother is worrying herself to death trying to find her a husband. Lydia is our half sister, and only ten years old. She is quite the chatterbox and Stepmother constantly worries that she might give away my secret. She had wanted to keep my powers hidden from Lydia, but sometimes, when I get angry and accidentally set things on fire, it is hard not to notice. So instead, she always makes Lydia recite, "I must never tell anyone that Emma can do magic. If people find out they will tell the King. If the king finds out, he will take her away forever."

I went to Cassandra's room and helped her out of the corset, which I knew she hated to wear. But tonight she didn't seem to hate it as much.

"You will never guess what happened," she whispered excitedly.

"What happened?" I asked, because she clearly wanted me to.

"I was in the library, trying to avoid those annoying girls, and guess who turned out to also be hiding in there?" She could barely contain her excitement.

"Who?" I asked, genuinely interested.

"The Prince!"

"Prince James?" My eyes were as big as saucers.

"And he spoke to me, and we talked." She must have been bursting to share the news all evening.

"What did you talk about?"

"Mostly about books, and how much we both don't enjoy these social gatherings," she was blushing now. "And then a group of girls came to look for him and we hid behind the shelves!"

"Oh Cassandra, I can't believe you've caught the eye of the Prince!" I exclaimed in delight. "Have you told your mother?"

She stopped smiling then. "I don't know if I've caught his eye. Maybe he spoke to me only because there was no one else there?"

"But weren't those girls in the library?"

"Yes, but he was trying to avoid them," she explained. "And no, I have not told Mother. She would get all sorts of ideas in her head."

"Well, she would certainly put all her efforts into making sure you see him again," I pointed out. "And how would you know if he actually liked you unless you do see him at more events?"

Cassandra considered this, and finally decided she would tell her mother. As expected, Stepmother was beside herself with excitement and began to make arrangements to take Cassandra to every social event in town and out of town. Under normal circumstances, Cassandra really disliked going to so many social events and parties, but the prospect of seeing the prince again had changed how she felt about them.

This worked very well to my advantage. Stepmother and Cassandra were out at these events all day over the next few weeks. Most of the time, they took Lydia with them, which left me free to do as I pleased. I would run out to visit Miranda and Auntie Muriel (as she had asked me to call her). Sandrine hardly spoke to me, but she didn't seem to mind me visiting. We had only two servants in the house; it was not difficult to give them the slip. With the training I was receiving from Auntie Muriel, not only was I sure I wouldn't accidentally use magic anymore, but it was becoming easier to make the servants and my family think I was at home, when in fact, I was not.

Auntie Muriel had known my mother when they were little girls. My grandmother used to have powers too, but she chose not to use them. When my mother was born, she often had the town herbalist come over to teach her how to use her magic. The herbalist was Auntie Muriel's mother, and the two girls had been very close when they were little. But as they grew older, my mother also stopped using magic, and became more concerned with society and balls and parties and men. She got married to my father and I was born, and that was when the plague came. It killed nearly a quarter of the population of our kingdom. I have only learned about it in lessons, and we were taught that it was caused by witches. I knew that was a lie. My mother had died from the plague, and she had not had the power to cure herself. She or her kind had nothing to do with the plague, but the king insisted that witches were evil and he began to hunt them out. I didn't like the word, but that was how the king referred to my kind. Most of the magical folk fled from the kingdom. My father hid me away. When he married Stepmother, he had to tell her about me, but no one save the two of them, Cassandra, later Lydia, and the two servants we had knew about me. Hannah and John had been with our family for a long time and Father trusted them. The rest of the servants were dismissed before my powers started to show. Stepmother grew very paranoid when they did start to show and she would fret every time Father took me outside. After he died, she might have never let me set foot out of doors, but I put huge effort into showing her I could go a long time without using my powers accidentally. She finally relented and let me go to the market from time to time under Hannah's supervision; and eventually she let me take over the shopping duties from Hannah. With so few servants, she did need the help.

Miranda and I became fast friends; though Sandrine still remained distant. I wished I could tell Cassandra about them, but I had promised I would not tell a soul. Cassandra in the meantime had finally managed to meet the prince again at an assembly, and to her delight, he not only remembered her, but was very happy to see her again. He had even asked her to dance. No doubt, they would see each other again, and Cassandra made me practice all the dances with her, so she would not make a fool of herself. As she told me every detail of the events, I found myself desperately wishing to go. Stepmother said it was out of the question. I could not tell her that I had learned to control my powers, because I could not tell her about my secret teacher.

One evening, a letter arrived, inviting everyone in the kingdom to a ball at the royal palace. It was going to be held in the vast palace gardens. Over the next few days, a rumor went around that Prince James would be choosing a bride at the ball. I hoped he would pick Cassandra. I badly wanted to go. I knew all the dances after having practiced them so many times; but I had never been to an actual dance. Stepmother would never allow it, so I resolved I would find a way to go by myself.

Miranda and Sandrine said I could go with them. They were both excited about the ball.

"Will you be able to find a carriage?" I wondered.

Miranda laughed. "Don't worry. Mamma knows how to get us there."


	3. Chapter 3

I didn't have the fancy gowns that most girls of my age and from my social circle would have. There had never been any occasion to have me fitted for a ball gown. I decided I would wear my best dress, and it would have to do. After Stepmother left with Cassandra, Lydia, Hannah and John, I snuck away to Auntie Muriel's. All three of them were ready, and they were also dressed in their best. I was surprised to find that their best dresses were not even as nice as mine, which I had thought was rather plain, at least compared to what Cassandra and Lydia usually wore.

Auntie Muriel said we would get to the palace in a pumpkin. She actually turned one of her largest pumpkins into a carriage. I don't know how she did it. I don't think I could ever do something like that. It was quite fun riding it though. It was soft and squishy on the inside, but it did not stain our dresses one bit. We hid the pumpkin in the woods outside the palace and walked to the ball. I was beside myself with excitement.

The palace gardens were incredible. I had seen nothing like it before. We used to have some nice gardens when I was a child, before the gardeners were let go, but they were nothing compared to these. There were flowers everywhere. There was music. There was food. But something was not right. Even though the whole kingdom was invited, I found that the nobility and the peasants did not mix and were dancing in different parts of the gardens. The common folk were louder, had different music and dances, and I felt out of place among them. I longed to join the nobility where Cassandra must be dancing with the prince, but I could not let her see me. I watched as they danced from a distance, and then finally decided that I could not keep myself from it.

I hid behind a bush and concentrated. In no time, I was dressed in an exquisite silk blue gown, complete with earrings and a necklace; on my feet, I wore beautiful glass slippers.

"What do you think you are doing?" It was Sandrine. She looked angry.

"I simply wanted to be dressed so I could dance over there," I said, motioning with my head.

"You shouldn't use this much magic; you can't handle it," she snapped.

"I'll be fine," I said scowling. "Don't ruin this for me. I might never have another chance to attend a ball." With that, I stomped off.

I hung about the edges of the dance floor until someone asked me to dance. It was the most fun I had ever had, and I never wanted it to end. As luck would have it, Cassandra saw me, and she was horrified.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she passed me on the dance floor.

"I promise everything is under control," I yelled, since the dance was already drawing us apart. "Please don't tell your mother."

Soon it was time for the waltz and I was very excited. To my disappointment, it was Prince William who asked me to dance. He was only thirteen years old, though he was already taller than I was, but I would rather have danced with someone older. But he was a prince, and I could not refuse. He seemed to be a curious sort of boy and asked me a lot of questions. I tried to give short answers and focus on the steps. I was already starting to feel very lightheaded.

The youngsters had stopped dancing after Prince William left to join the waltz, and Lydia was standing by the sidelines. She noticed me and her eyes grew wide. She ran immediately to her mother. Oh no! I looked across the gardens and saw Miranda and Sandrine watching me, looking concerned. What was wrong with them?

"Where did your necklace go?" Prince William asked me.

"What?" I was confused. I looked down and realized my necklace indeed was gone. I panicked. "What necklace?" But the next moment, I had accidentally brought it back.

"How did you do that?" cried the prince. Right then, the clock started to strike midnight and I felt my head starting to hurt very badly.

"Your dress!" he was shouting now. I was wearing the clothes in which I had come. "You're a witch!" We had stopped dancing, but only those around us had also stopped to look at us in confusion. The music had not stopped yet. I didn't know what to do. So I ran as fast as I could. The slippers had not changed back for some reason, but they were difficult to run in. I could hear men behind me. I was being chased. I took off my slippers and ran again, but accidentally dropped one of them.

I managed to hide in the woods and hide myself well enough so that the guards went right past me and didn't see me. Eventually Auntie Muriel, Miranda and Sandrine came to find me and took me home immediately in the pumpkin carriage. Auntie was furious with me for being so careless and she scolded me for being so careless the whole way.

We reached home before my family did; and when they arrived, both Stepmother and Cassandra lost their minds at me. I sat in a corner and wept. They sent me to my room, and I didn't leave all day. There had been no announcement that night for Prince James' bride, and we still didn't know for sure if he favored Cassandra.

"Emma," I heard a small voice. It was Lydia. I didn't feel like talking to her. I was lying in bed with my back turned to her.

"Emma, I'm so sorry I told on you," she said, throwing her arms across my back. "I was so surprised to see you there. But what's going to happen to you now? Is the king going to come and take you away?"

She started crying and I couldn't help but take her in my arms and tell her it was not her fault. It was Prince William who had made a scene. I didn't know what the king was going to do. Were the guards still searching for me?

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you to Angel Princess 31 for the reviews and the encouragement! ^_^ There is one more twist coming... :)


	4. Chapter 4

It soon became clear that they were searching for me. They had found I slipper I had dropped, and now they were using it to find me. They were going to make every girl and every woman in the kingdom try on the slipper, and those of whom it fit would be taken back to the palace for further investigation.

When the guards came to our house, Stepmother actually considered locking me away and pretending I didn't exist. But she would be in serious trouble if she were found out, so I assured her I would be fine.

My feet were small, and the slipper didn't fit Stepmother, or Hannah, or Cassandra. When it was my turn, of course it fit me, but I managed to fool the guard into thinking it didn't. I was so giddy with relief when they decided to move on, that I didn't notice that Lydia was trying on the shoe next. It fit her.

"This is not her shoe!" Stepmother started to shout. "She was not even on the floor during the waltz." I felt a stone drop on my stomach. My little sister was being taken away even as she screamed for her mother to help her.

Without thinking properly, I ran straight to Auntie Muriel. In between my tears, I explained what had happened.

"There's nothing we can do, child, without risking exposing ourselves," she shook her head. "We can only hope they realize soon that it is the wrong girl, and let her return home."

"But what about all the other girls who also fit the shoe?" Miranda demanded. "We have to help, Mamma!"

"What are the chances any of them can actually do magic?" she said. "Give it some time, and the king will send them all back home."

We were not convinced.

The guards had not come to their house yet, and Miranda resolved that she would try on the slipper and make it look like it fit. To my surprise, Sandrine agreed to do the same. Auntie Muriel pursed her lips, but told her daughters they could do as they pleased, but she didn't wish to get involved.

When the guards came, they had all of us try on the slipper. They did not remember me from among the hundreds of girls who had tried it on already. So, Miranda, Sandrine, and I were taken back to the palace.

* * *

 **A/N** : Shout out to mystorytotell's "That's Not My Shoe" for the inspiration for the idea that the slipper might fit more than one person. :)

How is it possible that the shoe will fit only one person, unless the magic involved in the original tale made the shoe a fits-only-the-owner variety. In this twist, our Cinderella character _doesn't_ want the shoe to fit, but it does fit a bunch of other girls, because she does not have a one-of-a-kind shoe size. Also, in the original, the king/prince couldn't have known that the shoe was a magical fits-only-the-owner variety, so why would he even initiate the who-fits-the-shoe hunt? In this version, it was used for the purposes of a witch-hunt, albeit a very ineffective one since the magical folk can just create the illusion of it fitting or not fitting. ("That's Not My Shoe" also has a unique and a quite humorous interpretation.) Please do share your thoughts about the classic shoe and the foot-hunt!


	5. Chapter 5

We were taken to a large waiting room. There were about twenty other girls there, most of them between fifteen and thirty. Lydia was the youngest there. When she saw me, she came running, and threw her arms around me.

"It's alright, Ladybug," I told her, using the nickname we had made for her when she was little. "No one is going to hurt you."

We waited a few more hours. Three more girls were brought to the waiting room. Then King Thomas and Prince James joined us.

"My dear ladies," the king addressed us. "I presume you all know why you are here. All of you were present at the ball I am sure, and one among you is a witch. Now as you know, witches have no place in our kingdom, but if she would be so kind as to reveal herself to me, I promise the punishment will be lenient, and everyone else can go home."

No one said a word. No one stepped forward. I could sense Miranda and Sandrine internally cringe at the word 'witch'.

"I see that you need some time. Very well, I shall return after an hour. If no one steps up by then, we shall have to take other measures."

King Thomas left, but Prince James stayed in the waiting room, watching us. He noticed Lydia, and walked over to her.

"Your highness!" Lydia exclaimed and curtsied. I supposed they must have been introduced to each other at some point.

"My Lady Lydia, it is unfortunate to see you here," said the prince. "You sister is not here, is she?"

Lydia looked up at me.

"You must be Lady Emma?" inquired the prince.

"Yes, your highness." I curtsied awkwardly, surprised that he knew who I was. "Cassandra was not brought here," I assured him. "These are my friends," I introduced Miranda and Sandrine.

Prince James nodded to them and said, "Please come with me." As we followed him out, I could hear the girls behind us starting to murmur about who might be the witch, and why some of us were getting to leave.

He led us to a smaller sitting room, but unfortunately, Prince William happened to be sitting there.

"It's her!" He exclaimed right away. "She's the witch I danced with!"

"Be quiet, William," the older prince scolded in a low voice, clamping a hand over his brother's mouth.

"Is it true?" he asked me. I nodded, turning pale.

"What is the king planning to do, your highness?" Miranda demanded, unable to stay quiet any longer.

"He only means to send the witch away," he revealed. "I do not understand why this is even necessary. The witches didn't cause the plague. It was brought here by sailors. My father needed someone to blame, so he drove out all the witches."

We looked at him, shocked. Miranda was bursting to cry out at this injustice and to argue over the use of the term 'witch', but she knew this was not the right time for that.

But it was Prince William who spoke up. "But that's so unfair! Why would he do that?"

The older brother sighed. "If you would pay more attention to what happens around you, you would know that a lot of what Father does isn't particularly fair."

There was an awkward silence.

"Well, I shall arrange for you to be sent home," Prince James said finally, clearing his throat.

"But what will happen when Father cannot find the witch?" Prince William chimed in.

"I don't know," replied his brother, running a hand through his hair. "Since none of the girls in there are witches, I presume he just will give up?"

"We cannot risk putting so many girls in danger," Sandrine said quietly, speaking for the first time.

"And Father never gives up easily," the younger prince insisted.

"I know," agreed his brother. "So what do you suggest we do?"

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Lots of interesting perspectives on the "fitting-the-shoe" business! This one is a short update, but it's almost done!


	6. Chapter 6

Miranda and Sandrine felt they could trust the princes and told them about their magical abilities. Sandrine suggested that I should own up to being the witch, and when he would take me away, she would pretend to be my sister and insist to be taken with me. Miranda could make both our features unrecognizable, so nobody would know who we were. Prince James knew the king's entire plan to ship the witch to the kingdom across the sea, and he said he would make arrangements for us to escape before the ship set sail.

Miranda, Sandrine, Lydia and I went back to the waiting room, our features disguised. The girls had started to shout at each other, demanding the witch reveal herself.

"It's alright," I told the room. "I am the witch. I will tell the king when he comes."

The king soon came with both his sons. When I stepped up to turn myself in, he turned to his younger son. "Do you recognize her? Is she the one?"

Of course, I looked nothing like myself, but Prince William was part of the plan. "Yes, Father," he said.

"Thank you for your honesty," he told me. "Now you must tell me, are there any others?" I had not anticipated this. I wasn't sure how to respond.

"Please, your majesty," Sandrine spoke up, "I am her sister."

"And are you a witch as well?"

"We only have very weak powers. Our parents died when we were young. We lived with our neighbors who took us in."

I thought King Thomas would surely interrogate us more, but Sandrine was somehow making him impatient to get rid of us.

"Very well, the two of you must come with me," he told us.

Prince James arranged for Lydia to be sent home and a message to be sent to Auntie Muriel to keep her informed of what was happening. He stayed by our side, when the king took us to the town square and announced to the crowd that we were witches.

"As you know, witches have no place in our kingdom, so they must be sent away. Their punishment shall not be harsh, because after all they are too young to have had anything to do with the plague, but we must never encourage their kind." I couldn't understand what he stood to gain from making us the enemy, and from the look on his face, Prince James didn't either.

Sandrine and I were taken aboard a cargo ship. We sat down on some crates and waited for Prince James. I was impatient to get home. But Sandrine seemed to have different thoughts.

"Emma," she said, turning to me. "I have been thinking, what if I went with the ship?"

"What?"

"I hate it here. I don't know how you stand being hidden in that large house. Even though Mother doesn't hide us like your Stepmother does, I cannot stand the secrecy. I've always wanted to get away, and now is my chance. What if I left on this ship and went some place where I won't be hunted and I can be myself?"

I looked at her in amazement, and then nodded. I completely understood. Unlike Miranda, she had always been frustrated with her life here which made her sullen and irritable.

When Prince James came to fetch us, she solemnly informed him of her decision. He tried to dissuade her at first, telling her it was not safe for a young woman to be travelling on her own, but Sandrine had made up her mind. In the end, he offered her some money, and when she refused, he insisted it was the least he could do for the trouble his father had caused.

We waited until the ship left the port. As I waved goodbye to Sandrine, I felt like I was going to miss her terribly, even though we had hardly known each other.


	7. Chapter 7

Prince James first took me to Auntie Muriel's house. I ran inside to tell Miranda and Auntie about Sandrine's decision. Auntie looked at me in shock and sat down on a chair.

"She can't possibly leave me and Mamma!" Miranda cried, outraged.

Auntie shook her head. "You know she was very unhappy here," she said sadly. "She always blamed me for not running away with the rest of my sisters. But your father had not wished to leave. He grew up here. Maybe we should have left after his passing, but I taught you both so well to hide your powers. And you have always been so lively, Miranda, that I convinced myself that both my daughters were happy."

"Mamma, do you think we should have left? Should we go after her?"

Auntie nodded. "Maybe it is time for us to go."

Prince James cleared his throat behind me. "I can make arrangements for you to join Sandrine, if you would like."

Auntie jumped and quickly curtsied. She hadn't noticed him. "How rude of me, your highness, I had not even paid heed that I had a royal visitor," she said, a little flustered.

"It is no matter," he assured her quickly. "I only wish to be of help after all the trouble my father has caused."

It was decided that he would find them passage on a ship in a few day's time, and as they prepared to pack up their belongings, he took me home. Cassandra and Lydia came running out as soon as they saw the carriage pull up and Stepmother followed.

"What took you so long? Do you know how worried we have been?" Cassandra demanded.

In few words I tried to explain what had transpired, while Stepmother invited the prince in, fretting that she was not prepared to entertain.

"I am sorry I did not tell you the truth about Emma," Cassandra told the prince later when we were seated inside. I raised my eyebrows questioningly. "I told him you were not well, so you stayed indoors."

He chuckled. "After everything that has happened, I am sure I understand."

"Thank you for returning her to us," said Stepmother earnestly. "We are ever so indebted to your kindness."

Prince James grew red and quickly said it was no trouble, but I joined in the thanks. He really had been kind to both me and my friends.

"Emma, I hope you can appreciate why you must stay hidden, now more than ever," Stepmother said gravely. I nodded.

"I am so sorry," the prince told me. "When I am king, I promise to get rid of this banishment of witches nonsense. But until then, you will have my full protection, though it is best that my father is not aware of your abilities."

"But you have done so much for us already," Cassandra cried. "We couldn't possibly ask more of you."

"Well, I…" He stammered, growing red again. Then he asked to speak with Cassandra in private.

"Why, of course!" Stepmother rushed Lydia and me out of the room. We had been too engrossed in my affairs to give them any privacy. But now we waited with excitement for Cassandra to come tell us her news.


	8. Chapter 8

The next few weeks were dreadful for me. I was alone and stuck at home again. Miranda and Auntie Muriel were gone, and Cassandra had many social engagements to fulfill as the prince's fiancée. At least Lydia stayed home sometimes to keep me company.

I did manage to convince Stepmother to let me go to the port to say goodbye to my friends.

"I wish you were coming with us, Emma," Miranda had said.

"Maybe someday," I replied. I did not like being cooped up in the house, but I was not ready to leave my home or my family.

I waited eagerly for letters from Miranda, and even Sandrine occasionally wrote. They had managed to locate some of Auntie's sisters who had fled from our kingdom after the plague. Most of them chose to live life without magic and hide their abilities. Auntie and Miranda had settled down near three of Auntie's sister. Miranda said they were three very sweet old maids who lived together, but they had just adopted a little girl, apparently to protect her from a curse that was placed on her. Miranda was looking forward to baby-sitting. But Sandrine, it seemed, had developed wanderlust and travelled to many places. It seemed she had even discovered menfolk who had magic. She had written me about a wizard who was travelling the world after years of imprisonment and had invited her to join him. Miranda suspected we might both have sisters married soon.

It seemed to me that I would have to give up on using magic too. It took many weeks, but eventually I managed to convince Stepmother that I was serious about hiding my powers, and that I had truly mastered control over them, and would not have to worry about accidental displays. She began to let me attend social events and perhaps emboldened by Prince James' assurance of protection, to my horror, she actual had me 'come out' to society. Now that she had found Cassandra a husband, and Lydia was still too young, she was going to focus on me!

* * *

 **Afterword**

After Cassandra got married, we moved to the palace with her. Life in the palace was so much more fun. There was always something to do and never any chores. Prince James ascended the throne not long after, and finally I knew I was completely safe. He was as good as his word. He published the accounts that detailed the cause of the plague, which settled once and for all that the magical folk were innocent. Still, I refrained from using magic. There were no other magical folk around. Those who had fled had made lives for themselves elsewhere, and they saw no need to return. And as of yet, no one in our kingdom has come out as secretly having magic.

I wouldn't say I completely gave up, though. I was on the look out for any little girl who discovers her powers one day, resolving to help her learn to use them. In the meantime, I sometimes liked to secretly help the servants with their tedious chores. Having had to do household chores myself, I sympathized with them and cherished the opportunity to make their work easier when I could. The maids never had any proof that it was me who helped them from the shadows, but they were aware of my presence. I smiled when I heard that they referred to me as their fairy godmother.

* * *

 **A/N** : Thank you to everyone who commented! It made writing the story fun, and I've had some pretty fun discussions about it! Many thanks to mystorytotell / Skylar French for feedback on the story and input on the ending! And for providing the inspiration for some the twists! :D Many thanks also go to Angel Princess 31 for continued support throughout, and for feedback on every chapter! Thank you also to Be Rose and coolcat12345 for your detailed reviews and /or thoughtful comments! :)

To my other readers who stuck with the story: thank you to you as well! Please do share your thoughts. :)


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